PAN (Translated by RAWA), January 4, 2009
A 12-year old Boy Raped in Afghanistan
This year ten cases of the rape of boys had been recorded in the Independent Human Rights Commission in Faryab
Zabeehullah Ihsas
A 12-year old boy in Faryab province was raped. General Mohammad Sadiq, commander of the Commanding Security of Faryab, told PAN that the boy was named Farhad and had been kidnapped a day back. Two men in a Corolla car had kidnapped him from the city of Maimana to the Shireen Tugab District and raped him there.
He added that after that the rapists had intoxicated him and freed him from a Corolla car in the Friday Bazaar in Maimanah (capital city of Faryab) and escaped from there.
Mohammad Sadiq said that Amir Ahmad and Naseem, both resident of Maimanah, are suspects of the kidnapping and rape and are under police surveillance.
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A widespread culture of impunity and lack of support for victims of gender violence has further exacerbated the situation, Subhrang said, adding “The culture of violence has increased because there is no fear of the law.”
Zaidullah Paiwand head of the Human Rights Commission of Faryab Province quoted from Farhad that first the two men had intoxicated him with some intoxicating substance and then took him to an unknown place.
He added that he had not known the rape due to the intoxication and when he had gained conscious he had found himself in the hospital.
Paiwand said the health of the boy is good and he has been handed over to his family. He claimed that this year ten cases of the rape of boys had been recorded in the Independent Human Rights Commission in Faryab.
The mentioned said that the majority of the rapes had taken place in districts, including Almar, Andkhoy and Khwaja Sabs Posh, and on children between the ages of 4 and 14.
According to Paiwand, six people had been arrested for suspicion of being involved in the rape but the rest had escaped.
The head of the Human Rights Commission of Faryab said the causes of rape are a low level of awareness among the people and poverty due to which boys can’t marry as marriage expenses are very high.
He said rape is strongly condemned by Islam and human rights and demanded the security authorities to arrest and punish the people involved.
But the commander of the Commanding Security of Faryab said that the police are after rapists and regarding the matter, two months back, an 18-year old boy who had raped a 15-year old boy in Andkhoy District was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison.
Although there are no statistics about the rape of boys in the country, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) expressed concern over the ongoing violence against women and boys and demanded the public punishment and trial of the criminals.
According to the information of this commission, last year more than 2000 cases of violence against women, including 77 cases of rape, were recorded in the commission.
The statistics of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission show that last year more than 1800 cases of violence against women were recorded and in 2007, 1650 cases of different kinds of violence against women were recorded throughout the country.
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